United States Officials Indicate Seizure of a Sanctioned Oil Tanker off the Coast of Venezuela, but First Hand Records Have Not Yet Been Released

Caracas, Venezuela, December 10th, 2025.
Reports circulating through public channels on Wednesday described the seizure of a large crude oil tanker by the United States near the coast of Venezuela. Statements attributed to administration officials claim that the vessel is a ship known as the Skipper and that the tanker had been operating within the network of sanctioned petroleum carriers that has long served Iranian and Venezuelan export channels. However, as of this writing, no first hand press release, transcript, warrant, or formal communication has been issued by THE WHITE HOUSE, THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD, or THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE confirming the operation or identifying the vessel by name.

Because the federal government has not yet posted an official description of the action, the only verifiable information presently available concerns the vessel’s previously documented history under a prior name. According to a first hand action taken by THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, the tanker known in two thousand twenty two as the Young Yong was designated under an international oil smuggling network that supported revenue generation for Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force. That designation is recorded in the two thousand twenty two OFAC publication titled Treasury Sanctions Oil Shipping Network Supporting IRGC QF and Hizballah and remains the most authoritative and publicly accessible federal document connecting a vessel of that lineage to Iranian and Venezuelan crude movements.

The two thousand twenty two sanctions identify the Young Yong by its unique identifiers and place it within a scheme that moved crude oil under false documentation and routed proceeds to organizations under United States sanction. This prior action establishes a factual record of the vessel’s involvement in prohibited oil transport and confirms the United States government’s earlier determination that the tanker had formed part of a broader dark fleet that obscured its operations through complex ownership structures and altered tracking practices.

At present, public descriptions of the alleged seizure of the Skipper, including assertions about falsified position signals, large scale loading at Venezuelan terminals, and the presence of United States personnel boarding the vessel by helicopter, remain unconfirmed by any first hand federal documentation. The Appalachian Post reviewed official portals maintained by THE WHITE HOUSE, THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, and THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD and could not find any publication that names the Skipper, describes an interdiction on December 10th, or provides verified imagery or statements regarding an operation near the Venezuelan coast. As required by our standards, these details cannot be reported as fact unless and until primary federal records are released.

The previously issued OFAC sanctions nonetheless demonstrate that the vessel’s earlier identity was connected to an illicit petroleum network, and they help form the historical backdrop for today’s reports. Should federal authorities publish a formal statement confirming the seizure of the Skipper or identifying the legal basis for the action, the Appalachian Post will examine the documentation and provide a complete first hand account.

All information presented herein has been limited strictly to verifiable primary records and publicly posted federal actions. No secondary descriptions have been used as sources of fact.

The Appalachian Post is an independent West Virginia news outlet dedicated to clean, verified, first-hand reporting. We do not publish rumors. We do not run speculation. Every fact we present must be supported by original documentation, official statements, or direct evidence. When secondary sources are used, we clearly identify them and never treat them as first-hand confirmation. We avoid loaded language, emotional framing, or accusatory wording, and we do not attack individuals, organizations, or other news outlets. Our role is to report only what can be verified through first-hand sources and allow readers to form their own interpretations. If we cannot confirm a claim using original evidence, we state clearly that we reviewed first-hand sources and could not find documentation confirming it. Our commitment is simple: honest reporting, transparent sourcing, and zero speculation.

Primary First Hand Sources

• THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL
  Treasury Sanctions Oil Shipping Network Supporting IRGC QF and Hizballah, two thousand twenty two designation identifying the tanker previously known as Young Yong and detailing its sanctioned role in an international petroleum smuggling network.

(This is the only first hand federal document available that confirms anything about this vessel’s past operations. No other federal branch has released official material on the alleged seizure.)

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Secondary Attribution Based Sources

(Not used for factual claims. Included only because they published descriptions or photographs relevant to public reporting. They are not treated as first hand.)

• The New York Times, public reporting on December 10th, 2025, describing the alleged seizure of a tanker identified as the Skipper, including reference to satellite imagery and statements attributed to unnamed officials.
• Airbus, satellite imagery referenced publicly in The New York Times report.
• Planet Labs, satellite imagery referenced publicly in The New York Times report.
• TankerTrackers.com, photograph of the tanker near Venezuelan terminals and public statements on cargo volume.
• Social media account of Attorney General Pam Bondi, video post depicting a purported interdiction operation, not yet authenticated by any federal agency.